WI visit to Yorkshire Lavender Farm and Castle Howard

Yesterday (Monday) 22 of us set off for Yorkshire in a 24 seater coach. It poured as I walked down the village to the coach and as we boarded. It poured most of the way as we drove South and was still raining when we arrived at Yorkshire Lavender. We hurried in and had coffee etc. I had coffee and a delicious buttery crisp toasted tea cake. By the time we had looked round the shop and the owner was ready for us, it had stopped raining and we walked down to the polly tunnel, where he talked about the history of the farm and much about lavender. As he had lived for quite a section of his life in Northumberland, he talked to us like blood brothers!

We had a short time to look round, but it was so wet under foot that we did not feel inclined to explore far. Another visit before too long perhaps?

Then we boarded the bus again and went a few miles to Castle Howard. It was still not raining!

This is the recently restored cupola - as close a copy as could be made, with only old photos to go by. The original collapsed into the hall below when there was a disastrous fire in 1940

And this is the inside. The painting is also reproduced from black and white photos, using great knowledge to create it. Below is one of the burnt-out room, now water proofed and with a wood floor. It, with 2 or 3 others, was used in the second filming of Brideshead Revisited. These rooms are very odd, with open ceilings and bare stone walls, mostly and a little of what the film people did. One day, they will be properly restored, but it costs so much to maintain the house, that it will pobably be a very long time before the money is available.

The famous fountain, in which the young men bathed in Brideshead Revisited.

Two bird species that were around in large numbers. It not being mating time, the peacocks tails were firmly down!

The rose garden. There is also an ornamental vegetable garden, which is most impressive. Produce from it is sold in the Farm shop.

Our day was rounded off with supper in a pub on the way home, and we got back to Kirkheaton, in light rain, about 10.00 pm. Everyone had had a lovely day as we always do when we have an "outing"